


Birthday chaos

by Treblereble15



Series: Vow of the Lion AU [2]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:14:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23784520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Treblereble15/pseuds/Treblereble15
Summary: Side fic of Vow of the Lion, set on Matthias's fourth birthday and the day before Berwald's 19th birthday.  Naturally, a birthday party would still be chaotic in the Hansen household.
Series: Vow of the Lion AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1356070
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	Birthday chaos

**Author's Note:**

> Ive had this in my docs for nearly a year and have finally finished it at 4am on my phone. If there's any mistakes, I'll fix them later once im coherent later on.

“Emil, go open up the windows!” Lukas practically shouted from the kitchen, his voice raised to be heard over the screaming smoke detector. He turned back to help Berwald wave smoke out of their general area before slipping an oven mitt on and removed the charred remains of two birthday cakes out of the oven. His nose wrinkled in disgust at the smell but didn’t say anything due to not wanting to discourage his older brother. Berwald was standing on Matthias’s step stool to reach the persistent device and once it was removed from the ceiling, he all but tore the batteries out of it to shut it up. When neither heard a window being opened, they both sighed in annoyance before Lukas went into the living room to see what was so important that Emil chose to ignore him. What greeted the second eldest was Emil standing near a wall with Matthias being held up by him and struggling to tape a piece of paper on the wall. Lukas personally thought it was a bunch of scribbles but he knew that the two boys knew what it was and wanted it to be a decoration. With a roll of his eyes, Lukas walked over to the window and opened it halfway before glancing out towards the parking lot. Outside he spotted two little boys and two men walking towards the entrance with presents, but due to being five stories up, he couldn’t make out who they were. However, he was a bit confused when he spotted what looked like gifts in their hands. Retreating back to the kitchen, Lukas crossed his arms, “Hey Ber, the party was scheduled for noon, right?”  
“Yeah, that’s what I wrote on the invitations.”  
“Well I think some guests might of come -” ‘DING DONG’ “Early…” He sighed before quickly telling the younger boys to NOT open the door before hurrying into the living room. It seemed his warning fell on deaf ears because the front door was already open and both Emil and Matthias stood at the door chattering to the people at the door. The blond groaned before walking over to them before recognizing who was standing on the other side of the threshold. Alfred Kirkland and Matthew Bonnefoy- two of Matthias’s classmates and friends, and…  
“Oh no.” Lukas was sure his face was three shades paler when his eyes met those of his English teacher, who admittedly looked just as surprised as he was. Arthur Kirkland coughed awkwardly before rubbing the back of his neck, “Ah, well- uh, Good afternoon Lukas. A bit of an awkward meeting, isn’t this?”  
“Arthur, you know this boy?” The man next to him asked, looking between both males in curiosity.  
“Ah, well yes. He’s in one of my classes.”  
“Guys, who’s at the door?” Came the muffled voice of the eldest brother, said brother emerging from the kitchen not long after while cleaning his glasses with his shirt.   
“Alfie and Mattie!” Matthias exclaimed, eagerly running over to Berwald before trying to drag him back to the front door, “And their dads!”  
Everyone minus the three preschoolers smiled in amusement before Berwald put his glasses on his face once again. Immediately he noticed who Lukas was eyeing, “Oh, Mr.Kirkland. I didn’t know you were Alfred’s father.”   
“I am, the little lad is from my previous marriage. I only just got custody of him last year.” He explained gracefully, despite the awkwardness. “I was not aware your family moved.” he added.

Thankfully, before Berwald could reply, Francis wrinkled his nose, “What is that horrid stench?”  
“Nothing-”  
“The failed attempts of birthday cakes.” Emil spoke up bluntly, his violet eyes rolling before narrowing at Lukas who tried to shut him up by shoving him slightly. “They can’t bake to save their lives!” He added indignantly, with the sole purpose of annoying his big brothers. Lukas glared down at him and Berwald awkwardly nodded in agreement.

Francis gave them an understanding smile, “How about I give you a helping hand. Show me to the crime scene.” He offered before teasing them a bit. Both teens sheepishly herded the kids away from the door before inviting the four inside, leading Francis to the kitchen so he could lend a much needed hand. Arthur helped the boys set the presents in a box with an ‘M’ taped to it, then put the gift he got for Berwald in the box with a ‘B’. Berwald had been one of his best students and while he claimed not to have favorites, Berwald was definitely one; so naturally he remembered him and his birthday and thus got him something. 

“Merde! What did you two do to these poor cakes?” Francis’s voice came from the kitchen, his tone incredulous enough to lure the now interested teacher to investigate. The three blondes stood at the small kitchen table, looking at sorry excuses for cakes. Both were in a mysterious state of both burnt and custard-like in viscosity. A few air bubbles would occasionally make it up to the top and pop, the sight making even Arthur wrinkle his nose. Berwald seemed more embarrassed than Lukas though the teen was toeing the tile flooring a bit as Francis performed a cake autopsy. After a few moments of poking, smelling, and even tasting-rest in piece Francis- the baker was able to determine exactly what the two teens did wrong.   
“Firstly, you didn’t measure the flour correctly, it’s far too runny. As for the burning, I can only assume you adjusted the temperature in order to speed up the process. Am I correct?” He asked, brow quirked as he tried to ignore his body complaining about his little taste test.   
Berwald scratched the back of his neck as he nodded sheepishly, avoiding eye contact with the older male in front of him. Francis nodded and chuckled slightly as a way in attempting to nurse their burnt egos, “Everyone has made those mistakes at somepoint. Well, that’s a lesson learned for you both.” With that said he emptied the pans into the garbage can then went to the sink and quickly cleaned and dried both pans to reuse. 

In the living room, the sound of the television turning on got Arthur’s attention and simultaniously reminded him to the fact that there were four unsupervised children. “I, uh- How about I keep an eye on the children while you three take care of the cakes?”  
The eldest of the family of brothers turned and gave his old teacher a tiny and slightly awkward smile, “Thanks Mr.Kirkland, that would help a lot.” The reply was expected out of the older man and was answered by amused chuckles before the Brit walked over to pat the tall teen on the back, “It’s no problem Berwald.” He said before walking into the living room. A second later he poked his head into the kitchen with a teasing smirk, “And outside of the classroom, you can just call me Arthur. The same goes for you Lukas.” He got two soft grunts to show they heard and accepted what he said before he turned his attention to the four boys. 

All four of them were near the T.V, the three pre-schoolers sat on the ground in front of a few coloring books and crayons while the first grader stood not far behind them fiddling with the remote as he flipped the channels. Eventually, they all mutually agreed on Cartoon Network since there was currently some reruns of Teen Titans playing. Seeing that they all seemed content and occupied, Arthur sat down on the couch and made himself comfortable as he simultaneously watched the boys and also listened to the baking going on in the kitchen. At some point or another the teacher must of zoned out because he was jolted back to reality by the sensation of four sets of little hands patting his knees and tugging on his shirt to get his attention. Blinking his eyes, the man looked down at the four children, a bemused expression blooming on his face as he took note of the bored expression on each of their faces, “Ah, may I help you four?” He asked politely, bending over a bit in order to be more at their eye level. At first all four seemed suddenly shy to say what was on their collective mind but in the end it seemed as if the birthday boy was bold enough to say something. “Umm..We’re bored, and nothing is good on the teevee.” He explained, punctuating his sentence with a huff and pout. The other three nodded in agreement, Emil setting the remote on the coffee table to further prove his point.   
“Oh, well that is quite the situation, isn’t it?” Arthur noted, a fond tone in his voice before he made a show of furrowing his brows and rubbing his chin as he thought about what they could do to keep themselves busy. His eyes scanned the room and fell on the drawing Matthias and Emil had been putting up before they arrived and an idea came to him. “How about you boys make more decorations for the party? The walls seem awfully bare of color.” He suggested. The boys thought about it before whispering amongst themselves- granted due to their ages, their definition of ‘whisper’ was vastly different than that of Arthur. After a few moments of deliberation the boys came to an agreement. Emil took charge and answered this time, making eye contact with Arthur, “Alright, that’s a good idea.” Despite not caring about their general opinions, the man let out the breath he had been subconsciously holding, a twinge of pride bubbling up in his chest before nodding in agreement with the eight year old. With that said, the child left the living room to where Arthur could only assume the bedrooms were and returned not long after with a box of paper, coloring books, and various art supplies. 

Almost two hours passed, allowing the two cake (layers) to bake completely and cool and the frosting to be added before Berwald and Lukas were dismissed from their duties so Francis could decorate the cake in peace and so both teens could quickly clean up. Not even three minutes after Berwald came out of his room with a clean shirt, free of flour stains, the second guest arrived. The eldest sibling had to race his younger brothers to the door, but due to his advantage in height he managed to reach it first. A quick hand movement told the youngsters to back up to give space before he opened the door and was greeted by a smiling blond.   
“Hey Tino, come on in.” He greeted before stepping out of the way to let his friend/crush/”it’s complicated” inside. Tino chuckled in amusement as he walked in, gently nudging Berwald’s hip with his own as he passed by with a wink, “I heard the race to the door, sounded like a close call.” He joked, briefly turning his attention to the two kids demanding attention at his feet. “Hey’a guys, how’s it going? Also Happy birthday Matt!” He said, hugging both boys before ruffling Luas’s hair. Said teen politely took the gifts from the man and put them were they belonged before rolling his eyes. Both boys seemed to vibrate with energy at the sight of their favorite babysitter, answering him eagerly before their attention was put back to the other two boys. Seeing that the boys were busy with their friends, the cheery man stretched a bit before seeing Arthur and smiled warmly, “Hey Mr.Kirkles. Surprised to see you here.” he greeted with a bit of a teasing tone. The older man rolled his eyes playfully before standing up to shake hands with him, “Good to see you too Tino. I see you’ve stopped acting like a storm cloud.” He teased right back, alluding to Tino’s punk phase. Berwald and Lukas watched the interaction with small amused smiles.   
“Ah, that’s where you are wrong, you see, the outside simply became the inside so I could blend into society.” Tino smirked and winked before chuckling at his own joke. Arthur chuckled and shook his head before retorting, “I should of known. With all the black coffee you chugged down in my classes it’s no surprise your insides are so dark.” The light hearted snark in the teacher’s voice made Tino laugh more before nodding his head to agree.   
“Wait, when did you have him in class? I thought you only taught freshmen, juniors and seniors.” Lukas asked, brows furrowed in mild confusion.  
“I taught only seniors back then, but after Tino’s class graduated I began to teach juniors and freshmen as well. That next year I had Berwald in my freshman english class.” The man shrugged, sitting down on the couch. Tino glanced at Berwald and chuckled seeing the other clearly debating with himself on what to say, “So, how’s it going? Nothing stressful happening?”  
“Besides us murdering the cakes at first, not much.” Lukas answered for his brother, earning him a first class ticket to being trapped in a headlock while Berwald continued to talk to Tino for a bit. Eventually, all of the other guests arrived, the small apartment a bit crammed with adults and children of various ages, and despite the day being a happy day, the amount of noise was starting to get to the older of the two birthday boys. Luckily, his uncle Aldrich, Tino, and Arthur all picked up on the teens discomfort. Aldrich patted Berwald on the back before looking at the playing children, "How about the older kids take the younger ones to the park a few blocks away? Gilbert can keep an eye on them." He suggested, looking at said son. Gilbert looked up from the newspaper he was glancing at before assessing the sheer amount of kids under his watch before his already pale face paled even more, "Vatti, you're sending me alone with all of them?"  
"Most of them are your younger siblings, you can handle them."  
"But there's still more than what i'm used to!"  
Tino and his cousins,Elizabeta and Eudard, exchanged a look before stepping forward slightly, "we can offer a few more set of eyes for you." Elizabeta offered, her green eyes amused. Gilbert visibly relaxed and sighed in relief before standing up, "works for me. Are you coming too Wally?" He asked mid stretch, looking at his taller cousin. Berwald blinked before shrugging, "Probably not. I still need to finish the food."  
"No no, let us handle it. It's your birthday party too, go have fun." Aldrich said, gently pushing him towards the front door where the children were all but jumping in excitement, eager to go outside.   
"Wait! Sunscreen and bug spray. Lukas, can you to grab the bag?"  
"Ber, we're not gonna be far from here."  
"Dosen't mean you won't get sunburned. Most of us heading out are blond with pale skin. Go get the bag." The elder was amused, motioning his head towards the hall closet. Lucas groaned and reluctantly stomped over to said closet and got what they needed, ignoring the adults who were snickering at his attitude. 

Once the bag of essentials was in Berwald's hands, he simply nodded his head at the other young adults and once they each were holding at least two of the kids hands they headed out. Berwald sent his uncle and Arthur and Francis one last thankful smile before going outside, following the parade of children down the stairs. Other than occasionally having to snatch one of the three or four year olds before they ran off too far, the four adults and young teens didn't have much trouble getting them to the park. Once they were there and sufficiently coated in sunscreen the brood were set loose on the park while the grown ups stood off to the side to talk. 

They weren't sure how much time had passed until they heard the frightened screams of the youngest kids under their watch, the six kids cornered against the maintenance shack by an angry group of geese. Of course the four preschoolers were terrified, crying while the two elementary aged boys stood in front of them. Berwald and the others exchanged wide eyed looks before sprinting over to the commotion, Tino taking one for the team and lured the angered birds away by throwing a stick at them and then immediately running the opposite way. In the meantime, the other four all but scooped the scared children up and made a mad dash for the jungle gym, corralling the older kids as well. When everyone was safe where the geese wouldn't be able to reach them, the now traumatized kids were quick to break down in hysterics, each clinging to whoever managed to rescue them. The waterworks only paused when the playground equipment shook due to tino clambering up the stairs to evade the still pursuing birds, face flushed and hair wild. Emil was the first one to look up from Berwald's shoulder, rubbing his eyes and sniffling before a shy smile appeared on his face. He started laughing softly, finding the panicked look on his babysitter to be hilarious now that the danger was gone. Just like that the laughter spread through everyone at that moment, teary eyes drying in favor to crinkle with happy laughter. Tino,Eudard, Elizabeta, Gilbert, and Berwald shared a look before letting out the collective breadth they had been holding in, smiling at each other before releasing the kids in favor of standing up. Not long after, they all started a game of hide and seek, though no one really dared to get off the jungle gym just yet.

It was only when the three older adults came to the park nearly two hours later to fetch all of them that they went back inside, the youngest children being carried inside since they were more than pooped from playing. Once everyone was back inside and piled into the kitchen around the table, the candles on the cake were lit for the two birthday boys. "Wait-" Berwald said, leaning over in his seat to pick up Matthias, ignoring his small protest of being taken away from where he was playing with Alfred and plopped the child on his lap, his arms around him gently. Aldrich gave Berwald and everyone a thumbs up, holding the video camera up and focused on both brothers. With the signal to go ahead, everyone began singing "happy birthday" to the two, some occasionally chuckling since Matthias was wiggling in time to the song. The final note of the song still echoed in the room when both brothers blew out the candles, cheers followed soon after only to be interrupted by an ecstatic four year old, "I'm thankful for my brothers but 'specially Berry!" Mathias exclaimed, still leant forward from when he blew out the candles. Several of the adults cooed from the sweet statement while Aldrich zoomed in on Berwald's surprised and flustered expression. The poor teen was wide eyed and with every second that passed, the glassier his eyes got before he eventually blinked away the happy tears and pulled his baby brother into a tight hug, "Thank you kiddo." He said softly. 

"Can we have cake now or do we gotta watch Berry cry?" Emil asked out of nowhere, his tone flat and bored. More laughter filled the air before the adults nodded in amusement. Cake was quickly cut up and served, everyone eating happily as conversations floated about the room. Once everyone was done they migrated to the living room and both birthday boys sat on the ground next to their specific piles while the others got situated and ready to watch. Aldrich made sure his camera was filming again before giving his two nephews the signal to start, standing up and out of the way to be polite and get a good view. 

"Matt, want my help?" Berwald asked, looking over from the present he was working on. He had an amused smirk on his face when the child denied his offer despite clearly struggling. He rolled his eyes before simply looking at Lukas and nodded his head at their younger brother. The teen snorted before getting up and plopping down on the ground next to his struggling brother and hoisted him into his lap to help. When he managed to easily tear the wrapping paper he playfully huffed and tickled his brother, "Hey mister, this was super easy, why'd you need help?" He teased, smiling as he kept ahold of the squirming boy. Matthias squealed before laughing, grabbing at the attacking hands and pried them off his sides though forgot all about Lukas when he saw what the gift was, "Legos!!! Woah- look at it!" He exclaimed, shoving it in Lukas's face for maybe a second before leaning towards Berwald to show him, "Look Ber! Legos!"   
The eldest Hansen gasped and widened his eyes dramatically, going to play along and act excited, "Woah, that's awesome Matt! Did you see who it's From so you can thank them?"   
That question managed to pause the excitement in the redheaded boy, his smile fading in favor of a thoughtful expression forming on his face. "Uh….no I don't think so- but I can't read much! I'm Just a kid Berwald!" The last part of his statement held a bit of sass that had multiple of the guests giggling or snickering. Lukas grabbed the discarded paper and gently nudged Matt to read the tag, "can you at least tell us what the first letter is?"  
"Uhh… yeah, it's a 'E' " he said, leaning forward to inspect the writing, "the writing is sloppy though so I dunno what other letters there are."  
"Matthias!" Berwald scolded, though calmed down when Eudard raised his hand and was clearly laughing, "it's alright Ber, he's not wrong. And the legos are from me Matt."  
"Ooohhh, thank you Eddy!"  
The bespectacled young adult couldn't help but grin from the child's genuine happiness for his gift, "you're welcome, bud."

Matthias was up and already back at the box of presents, getting up on his tippy toes to reach in and grab whatever his little fingers touched. A few strenuous seconds ticked by before the four year old pulled out a rather big bag. The weight and awkward size of the present gaining enough force from being tugged to knock the birthday boy right off his feet. "Woah! Careful everyone this one's big!" Matthias warned the guests and his brothers, his expression a mix of surprise and seriousness. Everyone played along despite wanting to laugh or coo at the adorableness of the situation. Seeing that everyone was heeding his - very serious- warning, Matt got up and dragged the bag to Berwald, "BerBer, I'm gonna need your help, you're big an' strong."  
"Alright." The young adult gave a curt and serious nod, playing along. He pulled Matthias into his lap and dragged the surprisingly heavy bag in front of them both. By now everyone besides those that gifted the child the gift were very interested on what could possibly be in that bag, so several guests were leaning in on the edges of the seats or from where they stood. With one glance up to the guests but mainly his uncle, Berwald looked at Matthias again, "Alright Bud, first let's see who this is from." He held the tag closer to the wiggling body in his lap. 

"'Kay! It's got a…ummmm," he furrowed his brows and stuck his tongue out in concentration as he began to work on identifying the letters he could remember his brothers teaching him, "I know it's got a B, but I think I'll let you read it." He finally said, looking up at his big brother. Berwald rolled his eyes in amusement before chuckling, "Alright, thanks for the generosity. It says 'from the Beildishmits, to Matthias'. So it's from Uncle Aldrich and our cousins." Though he added 'but i'm sure it was mainly uncle and Gil who got the gifts' mentally. Matthias shot up as if an air horn had gone off by his ear, the force nearly knocking Berwald over in his attempt to eagerly see his gift better. 

"Woah!!! There's two in here!" Came the slightly muffled squeal, the boy nearly sticking his head into the bag. His pure excitement was incredibly endearing to the older guests. Lucas scooted over to his busy little brother and gently tugged him away from the bag while trying not to laugh, "Matt, we can't see the gifts if you don't take them out."   
This statement made Matthias's eyes narrow a bit as he thought about it before struggling out of Lukas's playfully tight grip. Once back at the bag, he began tugging the first item out, actually struggling because it was rather heavy. Berwald assisted him before looking at what was given. It was a remote controlled 4 wheeler with a bobble head driver.   
"Wow!!! I love him! Thank you guys!" The four year old was seemingly oblivious to the other gift in the bag, hhis attention now only on what he had in front of him.   
"Mattie, there's one more in the bag." Emil encouraged, trying to help keep his younger brother focused. It seemed to work as he went back to the bag and squealed when he saw what it was. Said gift started playing music before it was even taken out fully- it was a "music with Murray" guitar from the Wiggles.

Matthias ran over and flung himself at his slightly startled uncle, hugging his legs, "Thank you!!!" He cheered with a bright smile. Aldrich chuckled and used his free hand to ruffle his hair. However the birthday boy didn't stay there for long seeing as Gilbert swooped him up and held him upside down playfully.   
"Hey where's my thank you?!" He teased, making the redheaded boy shriek in laughter. Emil and the other children rushed over in an attempt to 'save' Matthias, leaving the others to shake their heads in amusement. 

The rest of the afternoon and early evening went by smoothly, the brothers enjoying the company of their family and friends until they finally left around 8 that night. By that point the two youngest were nearly passed out from all the playing they did, but their older brothers managed to corral them into their room for bed. Their eyes had closed the second they had laid down, so Berwald assumed they were asleep. However, as he turned off the light and hit ready to leave, two voices stopped him.   
"Happy early birthday, bror." Emil said, now sitting up.  
"Thank you Berber, today was the best birthday ever." Matthias's sleepy voice piped up. The young adult opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by both children getting out of bed and hurrying over to hug his legs. The blond kneeled down and hugged both of his little brothers close to him, smiling when both protested to being kissed on their foreheads, "Goodnight guys. Now get back in bed before I have Lukas come drip on you." That sent both sprinting to their bunkbeds.  
"Goodnight Berry, we love you!" Both said while cuddling up under their covers. Ber smiled fondly and returned the statement before finally shutting the door and going to his shared room. Lukas was already done showering and was dried off and asleep in bed, obviously having been as tired as the younger brothers. However, that wasn't what caught the eldest's attention; on his bed was a piece of paper full of drawings done by all three of his younger brothers that said "Happy early birthday to the best big brother ever. We love you to infinity and beyond" and each had signed their names. Despite it being just a picture and it being not even his actual birthday, the sentiment was still there and he would be lying if he said that that night he didn't have tears on his face as he went to sleep.


End file.
